Nathaniel and Thomas touched their hats in greeting to Anna.
William jogged forward to meet her by the doorway. “Thomas and Nathaniel have some business they wish to discuss in town.” He silently groaned at the ridiculous sound of such an excuse. Business? “I won’t be long.”
Her delicate throat shifted and her gaze dropped. He reached for her arm, knowing the fears that hovered always near the surface. “Stay to the house and you will be safe.”
She looked up, and the lack of light in her eyes bit into his conscience. She licked her lips and turned toward the house. “I have plenty to keep me busy here.” One hand on the door, she stopped. “Will you be home for supper?”
“Long before.”
Her gaze brushed over him and like a breath of air to aching lungs he savored it, however short it was. And with that, she was inside once again.
Hastening to his companions, he clapped them both on the back. “The redcoats are waiting.”
~~~
The inlet hummed as soldiers worked like red ants, trudging back and forth along the sand and between the trees. On his stomach, William’s pulse exploded as he spied them through the dry, grassy reeds. He stared at the mumbling crowd as they relieved the small boats of their supplies not fifty feet away.
“That’s an entire regiment.” He turned to Thomas, also on his stomach, whispering through clenched teeth. “Did your source say anything else—why they are here, how long they will stay?”
From the other side of William, Nathaniel whispered as he stared forward. “That is all we know.”
Mind reeling, William combed through the files of his memory. What intelligences had he heard before being cut from the ranks? He bit his cheek. Those two days in shackles he’d heard more about the siege in Boston, but that was all.
“Well?” Thomas said.
William shook his head at the puzzle. “They don’t have any cannon, but they’ve plenty of munitions.”
“Can you recognize anyone?” Nathaniel asked the question for the third time.
Squinting, William trailed his vision over the soldiers as they moved about, setting up tents and starting campfires. He jerked forward, raising to his elbows.
Thomas touched his arm. “What is it?”
William leaned another inch forward, the hum of excitement seeping deeper into his chest. “Jimmy Brown.” He lowered back down, speaking side to side. “Brown served under me from the time I was made Captain, but I’ve known him for even longer, almost three years.” He looked up again and spoke more to himself. “I wonder what he’s doing here?”
“Could you trust him?” Thomas asked.
“Trust him?”
Thomas tipped his head and the unspoken question sunk deep into William’s muscles. He pinned his vision on Brown once again. Tall and thin, the man—who was no more than a boy of nineteen—had long wished to return home. Army life suited him like a pan suits a fish. William put his head down and rubbed his eyes. Could he trust him? Aye. In the years William had known him, Jimmy had performed every duty, met every task with exactness, despite any inclination he may have had otherwise. Nay. William could not think of anyone he would trust more. But any contact would put them both in grave danger…
A shout rose from the boat at the shore, and the three of them lay flat against the hard ground, the loamy scent of moist leaves making William’s nose itch. He faced Nathaniel. For the first time he understood how Thomas and Nathaniel spoke so clearly with their expressions alone. The message in Nathaniel’s eyes mirrored William’s thoughts. He nodded slowly then shot Thomas a quick glance.
“I’ll return shortly.”
In a flash he was up, racing toward the far end of the camp, legs charging, lungs heaving. He slid against the base of a tree, keeping his back to the camp. His blood fired through his veins like a well-trained army. How to draw Brown from the group? He stole a glimpse behind the tree but spun back when a soldier glanced his way.
Then it came to him. This regiment wasn’t likely to know him or to even be aware that the companies to the south had been searching for him. Spies crawled back and forth along these routes like spiders. How were they to know if he was a spy…or not? He looked again and blinked, unable to discern what he saw. After another moment, his cramping muscles eased a measure of their tension as Brown and another soldier made their way toward him, gathering sticks and griping about their menial chore.
Providence at work, no doubt. Thank you, Lord.
He clicked his tongue three times. Brown looked up, expression sharp. William clicked again and both soldiers dropped the sticks.
“What was that?” the other one asked, glancing to the side and behind.
William’s pulse stormed as he peered out, snatching Brown’s attention. He put a finger at his mouth and raised a surrendering hand with the other. “Shhh!”
Brown’s entire frame jerked and his face rounded in shock. “What the devil?”